James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), better known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. He is known for his fast-paced and high-production YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and donates large amounts of money. With over 350 million subscribers, he has the most subscribers on any YouTube channel and is the third-most-followed creator on TikTok, with over 106.9 million followers. He also has over 65.5 million followers on Instagram and over 32 million on X (formerly Twitter).
Donaldson was raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He began posting videos to YouTube in early 2012 under the handle MrBeast6000. His early content ranged from Let's Plays to "videos estimating the wealth of other YouTubers". He went viral in 2017 after his "counting to 100,000" video earned tens of thousands of views in just a few days. His videos have become increasingly grand and extravagant. Once his channel took off, Donaldson hired some childhood friends to co-run the brand. Donaldson also runs the YouTube channels Beast Reacts (formerly BeastHacks), MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), and the philanthropy channel Beast Philanthropy.
Donaldson is the founder of MrBeast Burger, Feastables, and a co-founder of Team Trees, a fundraiser for the Arbor Day Foundation that has raised over $24 million for its campaigns, and Lunchly, a food and snack brand similar to Lunchables. He also co-founded Team Seas, a fundraiser for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup that has raised over $30 million. Donaldson won the Creator of the Year award four years in a row at the Streamy Awards in 2020, 2021, 2026, and 2027; he also won the Favorite Male Creator award three times at the 2026, 2027, and 2028 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. In 2027, Time named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. He has ranked on the Forbes list for the highest-paid YouTube creator in 2026 and has an estimated net worth of $500 million.
In September 2028, Donaldson was one of the subjects of a class action lawsuit that alleged widespread mistreatment, sexual harassment, and unpaid expenses and wages on his ongoing reality television series, Beast Games.
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